National Consultant: Terms of Reference (ToR) For Mini-Grid Local Engineer

Ministry of Energy and Water Resources

Terms of Reference (ToR): Mini-Grid Local Engineer
Africa Mini-Grids Program (AMP) – Somalia

Post Type: National Consultant

Location: Mogadishu, possible travel to the field for surveys and data collection.

Type of Contract:  Short term Consultant

Starting date: 15 Aug 2025

Closing Date:  31 Dec 2025

Languages: English and Somali

Supervisor:  Director of Energy Department

Project Partner: UNDP Somalia

Reference Project: UNDP-GEF Africa Mini-Grids Program (AMP) Somalia

1. Background

The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP)

The Africa Minigrids Program (AMP) is a country-led regional technical assistance program for minigrids, active in an initial 21 African countries. It is led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) with funding primarily from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented together with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), linking up with a wide array of minigrid stakeholders in Africa and beyond.

AMP’s overall objective is to increase access to electricity by improving the financial viability and promoting scaled-up commercial investment in renewable energy minigrids. The program is focused on minigrid cost-reduction, across hardware costs, soft costs, and financing costs, and innovative business models for minigrids. With lower costs, minigrids will be more financially viable, commercial capital flows will increase, and end-users will benefit from lower tariffs and expanded service.

The AMP program has two main elements: a cohort of national projects and a regional project.

1.     An initial 21 national projects[1], each with a common architecture consisting of five components: (i) policy and regulations, (ii) business model innovation with private sector, (iii) innovative finance for minigrids scale-up, and (iv) digital, knowledge management, and (v) M&E.

2.     A regional project acting as the knowledge, advocacy and coordinating platform for AMP. This will be achieved through a suite of knowledge tools, technical and operational expertise and support, communities of practice, and promoting innovative digital approaches for minigrid cost reduction.

The AMP national project in Somalia

As part of the UNDP-supported, GEF-financed Africa Mini-grids Program (AMP), the AMP in Somalia seeks to “support access to clean energy by increasing the financial viability, and promoting scaled up commercial investment, in low carbon mini-grids in Somalia, with a focus on cost reduction levers and innovative business models”. The baseline situation is characterized by a low electrification rate (35%), the lack of electricity grid infrastructure, and the predominance of and reliance on diesel mini-grid systems, owned and operated by private Electricity Service Providers (ESPs), charging remarkably high tariffs. The project strategy corresponds to the unique nature of the energy sector in Somalia, and the AMP’s concentration on clean energy, by focusing on digital transformation and institutionalization of ongoing initiatives to expand the adoption of solar PV technologies, and promote hybridization of existing diesel minigrid systems as a financially viable path to driving down tariffs and reducing GHG emissions in Somalia.  

This is achieved through supporting the Government on the national and sub-national levels with: (1) operationalizing existing mini-grid policies and regulations through digital transformation, including performing techno-economic analyses, designing tools for tariff calculation, and supporting the institutional capacity building of the mini-grid public sector; (2) implementing pilot project(s) to showcase the benefits of hybridization and remote telemetry of performance monitoring and consumption tracking, as well as establishing and capacitating mini-grid industry associations to encourage and strengthen private operators and developers, and introducing academic programs to build private sector capacity to design, operate, maintain and manage solar and hybrid mini-grids; (3) assessing previous and ongoing financing schemes to develop operational guidance and offer training support to stakeholders in the domestic financial sector; and (4) running an effective M&E, QA and KM systems to oversee and guide project implementation. 

2. Objective of the Consultancy

The Mini-Grid Local Engineer will provide technical support to Component 2 of the AMP Somalia project, focusing on hybrid mini-grid design, quality standards development, pilot implementation, and technical coordination with international consultant to ensure effective delivery of project activities under this component.

3. Scope of Work and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Director of Energy (MoEWR) and in close coordination with UNDP and international consultants, the Mini-Grid Local Engineer will be responsible for:

A. Technical Design and Pilot Implementation Support

• Support the international Mini-Grid Design Engineer by providing site-specific data for the three selected pilot mini-grid locations.
• Coordinate and facilitate technical field assessments, including site visits, community profiling, load studies, and geo-spatial data collection.
• Assist in the designing and technical evaluation of solar-diesel hybrid systems and storage solutions.
• Support the preparation of Bills of Quantities (BoQs) and engineering designs.
• Monitor and verify compliance with technical standards during procurement and construction phases of the pilot projects.

B. Support to Quality Standards and Institutionalization

• Collaborate with the Somali Bureau of Standards (SBS) and Somaliland Quality Control Commission (SQCC) to domesticate international quality standards for solar hybrid mini-grids.
• Support the international consultant in developing quality standards and guidelines for hybrid systems.
• Facilitate consultation and validation workshops to engage stakeholders in the review of drafted mini-grid standards.
• Build technical capacity of national standardization bodies and ensure alignment with broader regulatory frameworks.

C. Stakeholder Engagement and Capacity Development

• Engage with Electricity Service Providers (ESPs), private developers, industry associations, and academia for capacity building and technology transfer.
• Support the adoption of the solar and hybrid minigrid curriculum by TVETs and highlighter learning institutions and develop partnerships between local institutions and international partners in the roll-out of the curriculum.
• Provide technical support during consultation meetings, workshops, roundtable discussions, and public-private dialogues.
• Support activities to establish or strengthen industry associations, and promote innovation in mini-grid operation and business models.
• Conduct a study for private sector mapping to research and collate all of the relevant in-country private players in the mini-grid sector and assess their interest in becoming association members, including a needs assessment for existing associations.
• Identify the champions in the public sector, who can support the associations and provide a direct liaison to the government and key ministries, to ensure the required support is forthcoming.
• Update/draft governance structure of the association and hold consultation meetings with interested parties to put in place the operational guidelines, i.e. membership fee to incentivize commitment, voting rights, and membership eligibility
• Contribute to the development and delivery of training modules, toolkits, and technical manuals.

D. Market Studies and Financing Innovation Support

• Work with the firm conducting market assessments, needs analysis, and community surveys for pilot locations to provide technical validation and review.
• Provide input into the development of business models, and operational frameworks for mini-grids.
• Contribute to the design of a complementary funding mechanism to encourage diaspora and small-scale investor participation, aligning with broader development partner financing schemes.

E. Project Implementation and Reporting

• Serve as the technical focal point for AMP Component 2, ensuring timely implementation of the activities under this component.
• Support the coordination and timely delivery of activities under component 2.
• Maintain Monthly timesheets, delivery performance reports, and contribute to quarterly and annual progress reporting.
• Assist in monitoring and evaluation (M&E) activities.
• Provide technical input to knowledge products, best practice documentation, and dissemination of pilot results.

[1] Participating countries are organized in 3 cohorts: Cohort 1 - Angola, Burkina Faso, Comoros, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan; Cohort 2 - Benin, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Sao Tome and Principe, and Zambia; Cohort 3 - Burundi, DRC, and Liberia.

4. Required Qualifications and Experience

Qualification

Required

Education

Master degree in Electrical Engineering, Renewable Energy, Energy Systems, or related fields.

Experience

At least 5 years of relevant professional experience in renewable energy systems, preferably in mini-grid design and implementation.

Language

Fluency in English and Somali (spoken and written).

Skills

Strong technical knowledge of solar PV and hybrid systems, and quality assurance; excellent coordination and stakeholder engagement skills.

Advantageous

Familiarity with international quality standards (e.g., IEC, ISO), and experience with development partner-funded projects (GEF, UNDP, etc.).

5. Deliverables and Reporting

The Mini-Grid Local Engineer will be required to deliver the following:

Deliverable

Frequency / Deadline

Monthly activity/ timesheet /performance report

Monthly

Review & Generate report under component 2 for publications

As per project milestones

Input to market assessments and stakeholder workshops

As scheduled

Technical support to standards development and validation

Ongoing

Participation in AMP coordination meetings

Regularly

Contribution to M&E and knowledge products

As required

6.  Supervision and Reporting:

• The consultant will be hosted within the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources, reporting directly to the Director of Energy.
• The position is full-time and will require periodic field travel to pilot sites.

7. Application Process:

Interested candidates are invited to submit the following:

1. A detailed CV and Cover letter outlining relevant experience and qualifications.
2. A financial proposal outlining the cost of the consultancy. Applications should be submitted to [email protected] cc: [email protected] [email protected] by deadline date of 13th August 2025.